Home Again
by padme789
Summary: Djævlen has come to Storybrooke. "We have to find Elsa. He steals souls. He's a collector. He collects the souls of children." A new evil forces Emma to turn to the only one she's convinced can ever understand what she's gone through, Regina. "Oh God, Henry…I have to—I have to find Regina." Begins at season finale, core story starts after 3x13. Established/Complicated Swan Queen.


_A/N: Just a few things to address, nothing major. I'm going to be working in some of my favorite variations of certain fairytales (mostly the French versions). Glinda will be playing a larger. I also plan to include Princess Ozma (she's a full fairy in this not half like in the Oz books) & the White Queen and King (OUAT Wonderland doesn't exist within this story) as major players. I plan to include Red Beauty, but won't be prevalent until their lost year is restored. Elsa, Anna, and Olaf will take part in this story. However before the finale I had pictured them as already being residents to Storybrooke during the 2__nd__ curse. The vase/urn Emma brings back with her still has to do with The Snow Queen just not directly with Elsa. Mistakes belong to me._

_Read, Review and Enjoy._

**Title: Home Again**

**Rating: **M – language, strong sexual themes, drug and alcohol use, "character death"

**Word Count:1679**

**Summary:** Desperate to salve the origins of this new curse all the while keeping Henry in the dark. What new information will Emma causing her to turn to the only one she's convinced can ever understand what she has gone through, Regina.

**Preface/Prologue**

She dodged his advances for a second time this evening. Internally kicking herself for even kissing him in the first place. Well again if you count that absurd 'thank you' back on the island in Neverland. However, in her defense she was angry. Angry at her parents, for naming her brother of all people after his nephew's father, that may have been normal in the Enchanted Forest, but here in the normal world it was weird and just plain creepy. She was angry at Hook for losing his grip on her hand. Causing her to plump through a time portal into a world she wanted nothing to do with. She was angry at Henry for wanting to stay in Storybrooke. She was angry at Regina for being filled with conflicted emotions of love once her memories for her lost year were restored. That was Emma Swan: Daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming, Product of True Love, The Savior, Secret Lover of the Evil Queen. Always angry and filled with unnecessary contempt for anyone who took away her freewill? No matter how much she cared for them.

What she would not give to be shitfaced right about now. That way she could forget it all. The time travel, her return to Storybrooke, Fegina's face when she broke her heart, yes getting shitfaced would be fantastic. She would find Ruby later after she dodged the damn pirate.

"Seriously, how did jumping back, panicking, and then saying and I quote 'Fuck, I shouldn't have done that? We shouldn't have done that!' Not clue you into – not – wanting to be around you right now?"

"Ms Swan, you're nervous. Just a tad-bit scared, but it will pass. We can get past it," spoke Hook his attempts to swoon Emma failing yet again.

"No what I'm trying to do is figure out why the hell there is a light coming from over there," Emma yelled stomping her way towards the abandoned barn. "Seriously is that going to be the new place we have go to for all the 'evil' that escapes into this town."

She huffed pulling her arm away from yet another attempt by Hook's attempt to pull her back.

"I mean come on. What I wouldn't give for a creepy guy hiding out in his pawnshop or a dragon in a dungeon hidden underneath a library." Emma stopped at the barns opening taking a deep breath. "No now evil thinks it will be hilarious to hideout in ominous storm cellars or barns that could collapse if the slightest breeze decided to pickup."

He held out his hands in defeat stepping back keeping an eye on the open door as Emma walked in.

…

Emma crept slowly into the old barn hand hovering over her side arm. Shifting barely an inch at a time she watched the backside of a woman dressed in a tight black pencil skirt and silk white blouse that could rival even Regina in both style and price. If Emma were to group the woman she would be have placed her somewhere between Belle's 'sexy librarian" and Regina's HBIC persona. This woman looked light an educator who was aware of what she wore to work every day. Nothing like Mary Margret's sweater sets.

"Melinda is that you? I thought you were at the diner."

"I was, christenings are not really my," the older woman paused as she searched for the right phrasing, "thing. Yes thing. Christenings are not really my thing."

Emma chuckled. "I thought it was an inauguration or you know, whatever."

A moment of silence fallowed Emma's question. As the woman known to Storybrookers as Melinda White—science teacher for both the middle and upper class students in the town's only high school—turned her attention back to bales of wet-molding hay.

"That to, either or I never cared for them. I only sat through my daughter's because she was in my arms," she offered back to Emma her voice a few octaves louder as she continued to search the area.

"What are you doing?"

"Looking."

"Yeah, I can see that. What are you looking for," asked Emma walking over to get a better look. Maybe even help in the search.

"Oh well, I overheard your little…I heard your exchange with Regina." Melinda raised sitting atop one of the dryer bales. Watching Emma waiting for her silent approval she continued. "She's right."

Taken aback by the bold statement Emma began to build up the wall she had allowed both women, Melinda and Regina, to break down.

"She's right. You might have brought something back through the portal. Either you just left the barn and went to straight to the diner or you looked around, but not knowing what to look for you left for the diner." Suddenly the briefest of glints shown to the far left as the moonlight shown through the barn's upper level window. "I'm assuming you just left straight for the diner."

Releasing a sigh Emma leant back her rear resting against the same bale of hay. She could still trust the woman. "Yeah… I didn't' touch anything. I swear, but I guess…maybe." She watched as the Melinda quickly moved across the barn her feet never making contact with the etched in magic symbol which still existed atop the ground. "Shit. I brought something back didn't I? Damn it. I swear I had no idea!"

Melinda, now holding a large brass urn, watched Emma's reactions. "It's not your fault. Like I said, you had no idea."

"What is that anyway? A genie's lamp?"

"No this doesn't belong to a jin. This is an urn. It's not meant to house something. This was designed to keep something inside."

Emma's features contort with confusion. She watched Melinda reach in touched the sides. If the woman were in pain from the contact with whatever was inside she hid it much better she ever could. Melinda offered the opening to the savior. So, Emma reached inside out her hand. Definitely better than she ever could the minute her fingers made contact with the cool metal surface, and processed the unnatural level of cold, they began to burn even blister. If Regina were here she'd laugh no doubt at her expense because she stuck her hand into something without anything thought, or simply to mask her genuine concern for the pain the blonde had just experience. "What the hell."

"Freezing?" Emma nodded. "But, it instantly began to burn at the touch," continued Melinda. She nodded once more. "There is only one thing that can cause that sort of cold, Djævlen"

It was official this knowledge toppled over whatever held all the fairytale information she could handle in her brain. Invisible-metaphorical blood oozed out from the inside of her ears. "What's that?"

"Well it's more of a he I suppose, translates to the devil, roughly."

"The devil, even I can't believe that and I just got sucked into time portal and puked back out."

Melinda audibly laughed. "That does sound ridiculous. He's more of a troll—maybe a hobgoblin." She watched Emma lift herself from the hay bale. "And, before you go off doing whatever method of investigation that you do as the Savior. You should know. You can't stop him. Well, at least by yourself, and I do not mean you need the help of your parents or Regina. Not even Gold's shop could help you. Emma this is different he is different."

"Then what can I do?"

Melinda placed the urn under her forearm. "Elsa, we have to find her. At the very most we need to find her sister. If Elsa isn't here, her sister will know how to bring her to this realm."

Clapping her hands together she cracked her knuckles. "Alright, that's simple we just need to talk to Ozma and Glinda have them find her the way they found each other before the portal opened up."

"Emma, it's not as simple as stopping magic."

"Magic—yeah right—simple," Emma groaned in retort her body still sore from her recent bought with magic.

"Emma, I'm serious, we have to be smart about this. We have to find Elsa. He steals souls. He's a collector. He collects the souls of children. This is not like having your heart ripped out. You can't just put a soul back into a body once it's taken away." Melinda her regal emotionless face stared out to nowhere. What Emma wouldn't give to be taught how to do that by Regina a face void of emotion? "We have to find Elsa, and protect the children. That is what matters not gallivanting around as the savior. Do not do as your parents would do this time around Emma."

If she were not terrified from Melinda assertion she would be insulted by being so easily compared to her parents' often rash decision making skills. All that ran through her mind was 'soul collector', 'children souls'. Henry was a child he had a soul. "Oh God, Henry…I have to—I have to find Regina." Emma rushed out the barn opening completely ignoring Hook. She ran in the direction of Regina's manor house.

…

How the hell? No—no I know how all this started. What I don't understand. Well, what racks at my brain every night before I try to go to sleep is—when did all of this happen, this time around, anyway. When did everything decided to go to hell and a handbasket? What could I've done to prevent this? No, not prevent, I've been dealing with all this 'curse' crap long enough to now to know none of this can be prevented. Prolonged maybe, but never prevented.

Neverland? No, that's too far back. When Regina destroyed the curse? No, there's some resentment towards that decision. Although it's only because I had no say in what was decided.

No this feeling started the morning after Regina and I almost caught the Wicked Witch. The morning I realized this trip to Storybrooke could never be the 'quick visit' I hoped it would be.


End file.
